Scout's Honor
By Julie Cramer

In the Boy Scouts, “Scout Law” includes being helpful. Brady Jackson, an 11-year-old Scout, proved that it only takes one person to help change the life of another.

Last year Brady noticed his classmates at Oak Creek Elementary School, located near Columbus, Ohio, throwing away their barely used school supplies. He lamented them going to waste and soon asked his fellow students to donate their supplies instead of tossing them in the trash.

He collected nine backpacks filled with 10-pounds each of supplies in the hopes of earning a Scout badge—but he got more than that. Brady learned that the simplest things—pencils, markers, and glue sticks—can go a long way in a country like Guatemala. “Even if I don’t receive an award from my Boy Scout troop,” he said, “helping the little kids was reward enough. The collection was easy. I was really surprised by how fast and how much students donated.”

Gloria Caceres, Guatemala program coordinator for Orphan Outreach, and Amy Norton, director of programs, helped Brady and his family to distribute the packs to a Baptist preschool in the dump of Guatemala City.

“My little brother and I couldn’t believe all the trash trucks and trash all over the place, [or] the people inside the trash trucks digging for stuff,” he said. “We were given a tour of the school and I couldn’t believe how small it was, and some of the classrooms were a little stinky. Some kids were shy but excited, with lots of smiles to get the backpacks full of stuff. I probably won’t be able to go to Guatemala every year to distribute more backpacks,” Brady said, “but I can send a few with my grandma and to other family members who live in Guatemala.”

“I was really unsure how I was going to get nine, 10-pound backpacks to Guatemala without spending a fortune,” Angie Jackson said. “I did some research online and came across the Orphan Outreach website. Amy Norton was very helpful and I would encourage other individuals to work through Orphan Outreach to help individuals around the world in need.”

Brady’s mom, Angie, was proud to witness her son’s compassion. A school teacher with family roots in Guatemala, Angie and her husband had planned to travel to the country so that their children could “get a sense of how fortunate, healthy, and happy they are,” she said. “I want my children to see all the ways of life, including life that they could never imagine.” 

If Brady could speak Spanish like his mother and grandmother, he would tell the children he met “that there are other kids in the world that want them to learn and be smart,” he said. “With the school supplies and backpacks, hopefully the rest of their school year will be great.”

After distributing the backpacks, Brady received the Peace Rose of Guatemala at the National Palace, “which represents another 24 hours of peace in the country,” he said. “I was also given a certificate for participating in the ceremony and for contributing to the peace in Guatemala. Because the students of Oak Creek Elementary were the ones who donated the school supplies, I had the certificate made out to Oak Creek.”